Mason jar valved-lid component and kit for use in fermentation

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure is directed to a lid component for use with a jar and a band. The jar and band may be a mason jar and a band for a mason jar. The lid component is made of an air-impermeable material and is dimensioned and configured to be releasably attachable to the jar by the band and to seal a wide mouth opening of the jar in an air-tight manner. The lid component comprises a one-way valve adapted to allow gas to escape from the jar while, at the same time, prevent air from entering the jar, when the lid component is releasably attached to the jar. The one-way valve comprises a bottom opening and a protruding top wall. The lid component further comprises a sealing wall that extends radially outwardly from the bottom opening. The sealing wall is substantially flat.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/702,267, filed Dec. 3, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/259,182, filed Sep. 8, 2016, which claims thebenefit of U.S. provisional patent application 62/218,625, filed Sep.15, 2015, under 35 U.S.C 119(e), the contents of each of which areherein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to articles for use in lacto-fermentationto create sour foodstuffs such as pickles, sauerkraut and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Lacto-fermentation is a process that is used to convert sugars to acids,alcohols and gases in anaerobic conditions. It broadly refers to thegrowth of micro-organisms on a growth medium. The micro-organisms usedfor the fermentation process are yeast, bacteria or both. Fermentationusually implies that the growth of micro-organisms in a medium isdesirable growth.

People have used fermentation to produce food and beverages since theNeolithic age. For example, fermentation is used to preserve foods toproduce sour foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled cucumbers,yogurt, as well as for producing alcoholic beverages such as wine.

A typical fermenting apparatus includes a 5+ gallon ceramic crockrequiring the user to make a large quantity of fermented food productwith each batch. If the food product spoils or has an undesirable taste,a large batch of ingredients may be wasted. Moreover, such apparatus canbe difficult to store, and expensive in terms of both the cost of theapparatus and the cost of the ingredients used by the apparatus. Hence,the mason jar has emerged as a popular fermenting vessel—it isaccessible, affordable, and small-batch oriented.

Mason jars are standardized wide-mouthed glass jars, with an airtightscrew top, used for preserving foodstuffs such as fruit and vegetables.The jar's mouth has a screw thread on its outer perimeter to accept ametal ring (or “band”). The band, when screwed down, presses a separatestamped steel disc-shaped lid against the jar's rim. An integral rubberring on the underside of the lid creates a hermetic seal. The bands andlids usually come with new jars, but they are also sold separately.While the bands are reusable, the lids are intended for single use whencanning.

While there already exist articles for use in home canning andfermentation, the present invention is intended to provide a moreconvenient and effective article that is durable, safe, simple andeasy-to-use, environmentally-friendly, more economical to manufacture,and which provides improved sealing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides, in accordance with a first aspect, a lidcomponent for use with a glass jar and band of a mason jar, the lidcomponent being made of an air-impermeable material and beingdimensioned and configured to be releasably attachable to the jar by theband and to seal the wide mouth opening of the glass jar in an air-tightmanner, the lid component further comprising a one-way valve adapted toallow gas produced by a fermentation process to escape from the jarwhile, at the same time, prevent oxygen-containing air from entering thejar, when the lid component is releasably attached to the jar.

The lid component may be made of silicone rubber, be heat-resistant,BPA-free, reusable, recyclable, and/or dishwasher-safe.

According to a second aspect, the invention provides a fermentation kitcomprising a lid according to the aforementioned first aspect of theinvention, in combination with a glass mason jar and mason jar band.

Since the lid component can be used with conventional and standardizedmason jars, and since mason jar components can be used in the presentfermentation kit, the invention provides benefits to the environment andcost-savings associated with re-using or re-purposing existing mason jarcomponents as compared to purchasing entirely new systems forfermentation. The lid component itself is compact and easy to store and,when silicone rubber is used, can be manufactured in a wide variety ofcolors to increase its attractiveness and for identification, labellingor classification purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings inwhich,

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of the lid componentshown secured to a glass mason jar using a mason jar band;

FIG. 2 is another top perspective view of the lid component of FIG. 1with components of the mason jar removed;

FIG. 3 . is a bottom perspective view of the lid component of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the lid component of FIG. 1 from a first side;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the lid component of FIG. 1 from a second side,opposite the first side;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the lid component of FIG. 1 ; and

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the lid component of FIG. 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring firstly to FIG. 1 , a fermentation kit 5 consisting of a lidcomponent 10, glass jar 12 and band 14 of a mason jar, is shown. In thisembodiment, the lid component 10 is made of an air-impermeable material,in this case, silicone rubber, and is dimensioned and configured to bereleasably attachable to the glass jar 12 by the band 14 and to seal thewide mouth opening of the glass jar 12 in an air-tight manner. The lidcomponent 10 further comprises a one-way valve 16 adapted to allow gasproduced by a fermentation process occurring inside the jar 12 to escapefrom the jar 12 while, at the same time, prevent oxygen-containing airfrom outside the jar from entering the jar 12, when the container lid 10is releasably attached to the jar 12 (as shown in FIG. 1 ).

Referring now to the remaining figures (FIGS. 2-7 ), the lid component10 is of unitary construction for convenience, and ease of use andmanufacture. In this case, the lid component 10 is made by injectionmolding. However, it will be appreciated that other molding processesand methods of manufacture may be used.

The silicone rubber material of the lid component 10 is flexible andresilient thereby providing a superior, air tight seal.

The valve 16 comprises a bottom opening 18 (see FIGS. 3 and 7 ), a topwall 20 (FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 ) and an upstanding peripheral sidewall 22 (FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5 ) extending from the bottom opening 18 tothe top wall 20. The peripheral side wall 22 defines a space 24 and thetop wall 20 has at least one opening 26 in the form of perpendicularslits 28, 30 (see, e.g., FIG. 6 ) which are biased towards a closedposition (shown in all figures) and movable to an open position whenpressure inside the space 24 (and by extension the interior of the glassjar) exceeds atmospheric pressure (pressure outside of the jar) by athreshold amount.

As perhaps best seen in FIG. 5 , the top wall 20 of the lid component 10is tapered from the side wall 22. This structure helps fermentation gasto escape while, at the same time, prevents outside air from enteringthe glass jar. Such air, which contains oxygen, can cause oxidation ofthe food contents and thereby spoilage. The shore hardness of thesilicone rubber and valve resistance have been designed to be consistentwith the pressure released from fermenting vegetables or otherfoodstuffs so as to allow fermentation gases to escape while preventingoxygen containing air from entering the jar from outside the jar.

As shown in all figures, the lid component 10 includes a planar sealingwall extending radially outwardly from said bottom opening 18. Thesealing wall has a uniform thickness as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 .

Although not clearly depicted, the sealing wall 32, upstanding side wall22 and top wall 20 are of uniform thickness. The thickness of the valvetop wall 20 and the material from which it is made affects theusefulness of the valve 16 in allowing gases to exit the glass jar 12while preventing air from entering the jar. 12. If the walls are toothin, it would be too easy for outside air to enter the jar. Generally,the wall thicknesses should be at least 1 mm, preferably at least 2 mm,and may be as thick as 3-4 mm. In this embodiment, the wall thicknessesare about 2 mm.

In order to fit a standard mason jar opening, the sealing wall has adiameter of about 8.5 cm.

Changes can be made to the aforementioned embodiment. For example, thedimensions of the lid component can be altered to suit different sizesof mason jars or other articles as may be manufactured from time totime, and can be from 6, 7, 8 or 9 cm in diameter, or up to 15, 14, 13,12, 11, 10, or 9 cm in diameter, as well as everything in between. Thesealing wall 32 need not be perfectly circular but should be of a sizeand shape to allow for an air tight seal to be formed over the contentsof the glass jar 12 using the band 14. Thus, if the shape and size ofthe glass jar or other container and sealing band changes, the shape andsize of the sealing wall 32 can change too.

The lid component 12 can be made of materials other than silicone rubberas well as combinations of materials. For example, the sealing wall 32could be made of metal and the valve 16 could be made of plastic orsilicone rubber. What is required is that the lid component be airimpermeable (other than at the valve) and be made of a material and/orconstruction to provide an air tight seal when clamped down using theband. The valve must be constructed to allow the egress of fermentationgas while preventing the ingress of outside air. This is ideallyachieved by having an opening that allows the one-way flow of gas (as isthe case in the above-described embodiment) when pressure inside the jarreaches a threshold level. The present invention achieves this by usinga flexible and resilient but also sufficiently rigid material to makethe valve 16 so that the valve is closed until the pressure inside thejar reaches a threshold pressure. The valve must be sufficientlyresilient to allow gas to escape at such threshold pressure.

Preferably, the material used for the lid component is BPA free, made ofinexpensive materials, and easy to clean and sanitize for repeatedhygienic use.

The valve 16 can be positioned anywhere in the lid component 10 and neednot be centered as depicted and described herein. For example, the valve16 can be positioned off-center (i.e. off to one side) on the lidcomponent 10. Furthermore, different thicknesses can be used fordifferent parts of the lid component 10, i.e. all walls 20, 22, and 32do not need to be the same thickness. The person of ordinary skill inthe art will appreciate that other changes can be made to the embodimentherein described without departing from the scope of the inventionclaimed below.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A lid component for use with a jar and aband, the lid component being made of an air-impermeable material andbeing dimensioned and configured to be releasably attachable to the jarby the band and to seal a wide mouth opening of the jar in an air-tightmanner, the lid component comprising: a one-way valve adapted to allowgas to escape from the jar while, at the same time, prevent air fromentering the jar, when the lid component is releasably attached to thejar; and a sealing wall, wherein the one-way valve comprises a bottomopening and a protruding top wall, the protruding top wall defining aspace and the protruding top wall having at least one opening biasedtowards a closed position and movable to an open position when pressureinside the space exceeds atmospheric pressure by a threshold amount;wherein the sealing wall extends radially outwardly from the bottomopening; wherein the sealing wall is substantially flat; wherein the lidcomponent has a height and a diameter; wherein the bottom opening has abottom opening diameter; wherein the sealing wall has a sealing walldiameter that is equal to the diameter of the lid component minus thebottom opening diameter; and wherein the sealing wall diameter is atleast two (2) times greater than the height of the lid component.
 2. Thelid component of claim 1, wherein the lid component is of unitaryconstruction for ease of manufacture.
 3. The lid component of claim 2,wherein the lid component is made of a flexible and resilient material.4. The lid component of claim 3, wherein the material is siliconerubber.
 5. The lid component of claim 1, wherein the sealing wall has auniform thickness.
 6. The lid component of claim 1, wherein the sealingwall and protruding top wall are of uniform thickness.
 7. The lidcomponent of claim 5, wherein the sealing wall has a thickness of about1 to about 3 mm.
 8. The lid component of claim 7, wherein the thicknessis about 2 mm.
 9. The lid component of claim 1, wherein the sealing wallhas a diameter of about 8.5 cm.
 10. The lid component of claim 1,wherein the opening consists of perpendicular slits in the top wall. 11.The lid component of claim 1, wherein the sealing wall is planar.
 12. Afermentation kit comprising a lid component according to claim 1, a jar,and a band configured to releasably attach the lid component to the jar.13. A lid component for use with a jar and a band, the lid componentbeing made of an air-impermeable material and being dimensioned andconfigured to be releasably attachable to the jar by the band and toseal a wide mouth opening of the jar in an air-tight manner, the lidcomponent comprising: a one-way valve adapted to allow gas to escapefrom the jar while, at the same time, prevent air from entering the jar,when the lid component is releasably attached to the jar; and a sealingwall, wherein the one-way valve comprises a bottom opening and aprotruding top wall, the protruding top wall defining a space and theprotruding top wall having at least one opening biased towards a closedposition and movable to an open position when pressure inside the spaceexceeds atmospheric pressure by a threshold amount; wherein the sealingwall extends radially outwardly from the bottom opening; wherein thesealing wall is substantially flat; wherein the lid component has adiameter; and wherein the bottom opening has a bottom opening diameter;wherein the sealing wall has a sealing wall diameter that is equal tothe diameter of the lid component minus the bottom opening diameter; andwherein the sealing wall diameter is at least three (3) times greaterthan the bottom opening diameter.
 14. The lid component of claim 13,wherein the lid component is of unitary construction for ease ofmanufacture.
 15. The lid component of claim 14, wherein the lidcomponent is made of a flexible and resilient material.
 16. The lidcomponent of claim 15, wherein the material is silicone rubber.
 17. Thelid component of claim 13, wherein the sealing wall has a uniformthickness.
 18. The lid component of claim 13, wherein the sealing walland protruding top wall are of uniform thickness.
 19. The lid componentof claim 17, wherein the sealing wall has a thickness of about 1 toabout 3 mm.
 20. The lid component of claim 19, wherein the thickness isabout 2 mm.
 21. The lid component of claim 13, wherein the sealing wallhas a diameter of about 8.5 cm.
 22. The lid component of claim 13,wherein the opening consists of perpendicular slits in the top wall. 23.The lid component of claim 13, wherein the sealing wall is planar.
 24. Afermentation kit comprising a lid component according to claim 13, ajar, and a band configured to releasably attach the lid component to thejar.